Great meals and Louisiana go together like gumbo and rice—you can’t think of one without the other. And behind every Louisiana dish is a chef who ensures that diners are getting an experience they won’t find anywhere else on Earth. Here are some of the culinary geniuses who are making sure Louisiana maintains its reputation as a food lover’s dream destination.

John Besh

Few chefs can claim to love Louisiana cuisine as much as John Besh. Besides his T.V. career on PBS and being the host of LouisianaCulinaryTrails.com’s Taste-umentary video series, he is also a James Beard Award-winning chef who owns some of New Orleans’ best-known restaurants (Pizza Domenica, Lüke, Borgne, Besh Steak and Restaurant August), as well as the Northshore “destination restaurant” La Provence.